1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improved sill and related jamb and head construction for windows and doors and associated methods and more specifically, it relates to improved means for handling and discharging water therefrom, as well as resisting air and sound passage therethrough, and more specifically, it also relates to a sill which prevents water leakage from the sill into other parts of building construction by providing a faster which passes through a flexible resilient plastic element and on opening in the sill and is secured to adjacent building components.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known in various window and door constructions to have undesired water leakage from frame components into areas where it might cause structural deterioration and aesthetic problems.
The problem is particularly acute where fasteners, such as metal screws or bolts, for example, pass through openings in a sill thereby providing the opportunity for water to seep through such openings into regions where water is not desired and can be damaging. Water leaks can cause mold, mildew and decay problems which are potentially serious. Air leaks waste energy and, in some instances, may cause an undesired, disturbing sound such as whistling. Sound leaks are often of particular importance in respect of city and airport installations.
It has been known to install windows and doors by securing the jambs to the frames in order to resist leakage to the sill and head. Water leaking through the sill into surrounding frame structure can contribute to undesired mold, mildew and decay. Water can also leak from the wall cavity through the head and into the building.
For wider windows and door units, and to resist higher wind load, it is desirable to employ fasteners at multiple points across the sill and head. Such fastening also serves to eliminate to resist crowning at the sill and sagging at the head. One of the problems which emerges from such placing fasteners through the sill and head is that the openings for the fasteners can facilitate undesired water leakage and air and sound passage.
In an effort to solve the foregoing problems, it has been known to provide sill pans, dams and cladding. See generally U.S. Pat. No. 7,222,462 and U.S. Patent Publications 2007/0289226 and 2006/0156654.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,266,929 discloses a threshold positioned above a sub-sill. It discloses several embodiments of the attachable sealing fins which provide a threshold recess. The sealing fin which is said to reduce moisture penetration may be established through a coextrusion employing polyvinyl chloride to provide an extendable and contractible bridging portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,152 discloses a sill which is secured to a base by means of wood screws and a sealing strip which may be a polyvinyl chloride extrusion. Drain holes are provided to discharge water to the exterior of the window.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2015/0096235 discloses a door sill assembly which has a multi-component sill construction having a flexible seal formed by coextrusion. Drainage channels are said to be provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,018 discloses two interlocking seal members connected by a flexible hinge with the members said to be coextruded from polyvinyl chloride.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,795 discloses a pressure plate which cooperates with glazing gaskets and employs coextrusion and a screw member to secure the assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,544 discloses sealing instructions which are said to resist water leakage through holes in sills. A bolt and cooperating nut secure the building component to a building section with an overlying molded plastic cap being secured around the exterior of the hole through which the bolt passes to resist passage of water through the hole.
Despite the foregoing prior art disclosures, there remains a very real and substantial need for a window having a sill construction which will permit fasteners to pass through the sill in securing the sill to a building element while effectively resisting undesired leakage of water from the sill into the adjacent building components. The present invention provides a solution to the foregoing problems.